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Polaris of Enlightenment

Friday, February 7, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/world/ukrainians-who-document-forced-recruitment-risk-jail/

World

Ukrainians who document forced recruitment risk jail

The war in Ukraine

Published 9 May 2024
– By Editorial Staff
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Ukrainian authorities are now threatening up to eight years in prison for anyone who films the work of recruiters during mobilization. Kiev has recently launched a new wave of mobilization to replace battlefield losses, which Moscow estimates at over 110,000 this year alone.

In western Ukraine, specifically in the Khmelnytskyi region, authorities warn of serious consequences “for anyone who documents the work of recruiters during the ongoing mobilization”. Consequences that, according to Ukrainian law, include up to eight years in prison.

“Sharing information on social networks and messenger groups about the locations and movements of recruiters in the Khmelnytsky region when delivering messages to citizens eligible for conscription leads to the disclosure of forms and methods”, the press service of the recruitment center posted on Facebook on Monday.

The background is the ongoing mobilization recently launched by Kiev to compensate for losses on the battlefield. Losses that Kiev kept secret during the war, but which Moscow estimates at over 110,000 soldiers in 2024 alone.

The campaign to replenish the ranks of the Ukrainian military is now facing resistance from those seeking to avoid conscription. Methods of evading the often aggressive mobilization include sharing information about recruiters’ movements and call-up schedules on social media and messenger apps.

The recruitment office in the Khmelnytskyi region warns that such actions risk serious consequences under new laws that “prohibit the disruption of military affairs and official military activities during a state of war.”

Strict mobilization rules

Recent changes to mobilization rules, signed into law by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, lowered the age of conscription to 25 and automated the registration and dispatch of call-ups.

The law also allows Ukrainians with asymptomatic HIV, hepatitis, slowly progressing cancer, tuberculosis and mental illness to be called up for military service in the armed forces.

However, the law has apparently not prevented an increased exodus from the country by those hoping to avoid military service. Many are now trying to flee to neighboring countries such as Hungary and Romania, leading to dangerous attempts to cross the border.

The Ukrainian border service reports that up to 120-150 people are stopped from leaving the country every day.

Men dress up as women

To avoid conscription, some have taken drastic measures such as dressing up as women to try to escape. In one recent incident, a man was arrested by Ukrainian border guards while trying to flee to Hungary dressed as a woman. In another case, six men attempted to swim across the Tisza River to Romania; four of them drowned.

The Ukrainian authorities continue to be overwhelmed by the two-year conflict. This puts increased pressure on the NATO-controlled government in Kiev as it tries to manage the mobilization and its consequences for the population.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/world/zelenskys-call-give-us-nuclear-weapons/

World

Zelensky’s call: “Give us nuclear weapons”

The war in Ukraine

Published yesterday 11:09
– By Editorial Staff
Zelensky has repeatedly expressed regret that Ukraine has no nuclear arsenal.
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Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky wants the West to provide Kiev with nuclear weapons and even more missiles “to stop Russia” if Ukraine is not granted membership of the NATO military pact very quickly.

British journalist Piers Morgan published an excerpt from an interview with Zelensky in which he asked the Ukrainian leader why Kiev refuses to provide any alternative to NATO membership for possible peace negotiations, when he knows that such a proposal is considered completely unacceptable to Moscow.

The Ukrainian president replied that if Kiev is prevented from joining the US-led bloc in the near future, Ukraine will have the right to ask its allies how to defend itself against Russia instead.

– Which support package? Which missiles? Will we be given nuclear weapons? Then let them give us nuclear weapons!

– Give us back nuclear arms. Give us missile systems. Partners, help us finance the one-million army, move your contingent on the parts of our state where we want the stability of the situation, he continued.

“A maniac”

In recent months, Mr. Zelensky has repeatedly expressed his regret that Ukraine had previously handed over Soviet nuclear weapons stationed on its soil in exchange for security guarantees. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine inherited some 1 700 nuclear warheads, which remained under Moscow’s operational control.

Russia has always maintained that Ukraine never had any nuclear weapons to begin with, as the Soviet assets legally belonged to Moscow.

– Zelensky’s latest statements that he wants to possess a nuclear capability expose him as a maniac, who considers the planet as an object for his sick delusions. They also prove that for him nuclear power stations are not a source of peaceful energy, but a dirty weapon that the Kiev regime needs for blackmail, comments Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/trump-wants-ukraines-minerals-in-return-for-support/

World

Trump wants Ukraine’s minerals in return for support

The war in Ukraine

Published 5 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
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Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, President Donald Trump declared that he wants a “deal” with Ukraine to gain access to the country’s rare metal resources for continued US support in its war against Russia.

Trump referred to the fact that the US has sent more military and economic aid to Ukraine than its European allies, adding, according to AP and Reuters.

– We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things, the US president explained.

Trump indicated that he has been told by the Ukrainian government that, among other things, they would be willing to give the US access to the minerals that are “critical to the modern high-tech economy”.

– We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earth. And I want security of the rare earth, and they’re willing to do it.

“Going to stop that ridiculous war”

Trump has previously said he would bring an end to the war within 24 hours of taking office and insisted that talks are indeed underway to end the conflict, claims dismissed by Russian sources.

– We made a lot of progress on Russia, Ukraine, Trump said.

– We’ll see what happens. We’re going to stop that ridiculous war, the President continued.

Trump’s call for “compensation” has been met with criticism from other Western bloc countries, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, referring to a meeting with other EU leaders, saying that “it would be very selfish” and that such resources would be better used for the country’s post-war reconstruction.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/economy/eu-may-resume-russian-gas-imports/

Economy

EU may resume Russian gas imports

The war in Ukraine

Published 31 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
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The possibility of resuming Russian gas imports via pipelines could be part of a potential peace deal with Russia, according to the Financial Times. Proposals backed by Germany and Hungary, among others, would aim to lower energy prices in Europe while bringing Moscow to the negotiating table.

– There is pressure from some big member states on energy prices and this is one way to bring those down, of course, what is described as an anonymous EU official told the Financial Times.

The idea, meanwhile, is facing strong criticism in some quarters, including concerns in Brussels that a resumption of imports would increase Russia’s export revenues and counter previous efforts to reduce dependence on Russian energy.

From 40 to 10 percent

The EU’s direct gas imports from Russia have fallen dramatically since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. Before the war, Russian gas accounted for around 40% of the EU’s total gas supply, but in 2024 this share has dropped to around 10% as a result of sanctions, diversification of energy sources and the Nord Stream pipeline terror attack.

To compensate for the shortfall, the EU has increased imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), particularly from the United States and Norway, while imports of liquefied gas also from Russia have increased through gaps still left in the sanctions.

Overall, the situation has led to a sharp increase in energy prices in Europe and has had a very negative impact on the European economy, with the EU’s largest economy Germany, for example, experiencing economic contraction for two years in a row.

– In the end, everybody wants lower energy costs, said a senior EU official, according to the Financial Times.

Growing opposition

Some EU countries, such as Slovakia and Hungary, have expressed open concern about their energy supply, arguing that the political leadership in Ukraine has jeopardized their energy security by stopping gas transfers through the country from Russia.

In Germany, the leader of the opposition party Alternative for Germany, Alice Weidel, recently pledged to restart the Nord Stream project if the party comes to power.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/economy/sweden-donates-new-major-package-to-ukraine/

Economy

Sweden donates new major package to Ukraine

The war in Ukraine

Published 31 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Minister of Defense Pål Jonson.
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Swedish production of military equipment will be included in the next aid package to Ukraine. The package will be the largest to date and amounts to a total of SEK 13.5 billion (€1.2 billion).

The Government and the Sweden Democrats have presented the 18th aid package to Ukraine, where Sweden will now procure military equipment specifically intended for donation to the country. For example, €90 million is set aside to manufacture long-range missiles and long-range drones.

– We are moving from donation to production, said Pål Jonson (M) at a press conference on Thursday.

Approximately €500 million will be used for procurement from Swedish and foreign defense industry, €250 million will be donated and a further €250 million will be donated from existing equipment from the Swedish Armed Forces, including 146 trucks, 16 combat boats, 1,500 TOW anti-tank missiles and 2,000 anti-tank shells. Sweden will also provide extensive training.

In total, Sweden’s military support to the Ukrainian war now amounts to approximately SEK 61.9 billion (€5.5 billion), which is roughly equivalent to the entire annual expenditure of the state budget on pensions. Previously, Sweden has donated aircraft, armored vehicles, missiles and artillery shells.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com